Urby's Fulham Bow

Fulham debutant Urby Emanuelson believes his new side were unfortunate not to come away with something from Saturday’s clash with Manchester United.

Wayne Rooney’s late strike saw United earn a 1-0 win against a plucky Fulham side who pushed the league leaders every step of the way.

And Emanuelson, who made his Fulham bow in the game as a 68th-minute substitute, was impressed by what he saw from his new teammates.

“It wasn’t an easy game to make my debut in,” he told the official website. “It was a tough match, but in the second half we really fought well and it looked like we would get at least a point.

“We fought as a team. You saw in the second half that we were getting stronger and stronger. We were unlucky in the box as well. But with the strikers they have, they can always score goals.

“We can be happy with the way we played but, of course, the result was not what we wanted.”

A deadline-day loan signing from AC Milan, Emanuelson replaced Giorgos Karagounis in the middle of the park – a position the Dutchman is more than happy to fill.

“I’m comfortable playing there,” he stated. “I’m used to playing in a lot of positions and with my style of play I can play anywhere in the midfield. It’s started for me now and I want to grow as a player and help the Team.

“The result wasn’t to be but I’m really happy that I got some minutes on the pitch and it went well.

“It’s a good feeling to make my debut. I just want to play more than I was in Milan. I’d only trained once with Fulham before the game so I’m happy that I could play 25 minutes.”

Capped 16 times by the Netherlands, Emanuelson played under Martin Jol during the Fulham Manager’s time as boss at Ajax and the 26-year-old admits the Whites gaffer was a key factor in his move to SW6.

“Martin Jol was a big part of the move as I’d worked already with him,” he said. “I need a little bit of trust at the moment and he’s a coach who believes in me. That is one of the big reasons why I came here.”

He added: “It feels like a great group of players here. Everybody is making jokes and I’ve been made to feel very welcome. I’m really happy that I’m here and I’m looking forward to showing the fans what I can do on the pitch.”